I had the opportunity to attend the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools Spring Convening here in Pittsburgh at the end of last month. Wow — If you want to see the future of education, forget Silicon Valley. You need to head to the ‘Burgh.
This wasn't your typical education conference. Thirteen (yes, THIRTEEN!) school districts across the Pittsburgh area threw open their doors to co-host this national network of 150 forward-thinking school district leaders. It was like the Avengers of education assembled to show the world how it's done. Personally, I love this conference model of district leaders and supporting innovators learning from and alongside each other. Digital Promise as an organization really excels at centering learning in spaces like these — I was honored to attend!
A Fly on the Wall…
My mission at this conference? To listen.
CodeJoy, as you know, is all about bringing the joy of coding and robotics to classrooms. But we're also expanding into new territories with EarthDwellers (outdoor learning) and Unofficial Intelligence (AI education) under our parent company, The Anything Place Media. So, I wanted to hear straight from the source: What do these rockstar school leaders need? What are they dreaming of? What challenges are they tackling head-on? Through attending workshops, visiting various sites across the region, tabling with real robots and real bugs, and hosting an Open House Studio Tour at our space, we got to listen a lot!
Highlights from the Week
AI is Here to Stay (So Let's Get Smart):
I nerded out at a focus group for EngageAI's new Scenecraft tool. Watching these education leaders play with the tool and brainstorm the possibilities of AI-assisted interactive story writing? Mind-blowing. One thing is clear: AI isn't a fad; it's a fundamental shift. And educators are hungry for useful ways to wield this new power.
Pittsburgh: The Collaboration Capital:
Gregg Behr, Executive Director of the Remake Learning Network, gave a Mr. Rogers-inspired keynote tracing the past and hopeful future supercharged by Remake Learning’s work. It's a reminder that when educators join forces, magic happens!
Cruising into Connections:
The Monday night reception kicked off with a bang – a Gateway Clipper Cruise! It was the perfect setting to reconnect with old friends in new roles, like Matt Friedman from Quakertown schools. And get this: Colin Kaepernick was there! Talk about a powerful presence (dude is TALL). Hearing abouthis storytelling app was a reminder of the importance of standing up for what you believe in.
Robot Mini Golf and Bug Buddies:
At the Wednesday night Remake Learning reception at the Carnegie Science Center, we set up a fully interactive table showcasing all three of our learning initiatives. On one large screen, we ran a live Robot Mini Golf show. (Matt stayed behind to run the show while Amanda Jeane and I manned the table.) Watching superintendents get their game on and realize they were controlling REAL robots LIVE? Priceless. (Special shoutout to Matt’s wacky, playful “celebrations” for when the ball went in the hole - like throwing confetti, and then slowly sweeping it up. It got superintendents laughing out loud!) And Amanda Jeane charmed everyone with Milli, our baby millipede. Turns out, bugs are a fantastic way to spark conversations about outdoor learning! We also brought our little robot, Walter, and used Google Teachable Machine to spark conversations about AI education (Unofficial Intelligence). Not having tabled much in the past, this was a really fun and informative experience! We’re ready for the next one!
Studio Love:
Our Open House Studio Tour on Thursday night was a blast. We got to show off The Anything Place Media's vision, with CodeJoy, EarthDwellers, and Unofficial Intelligence all under one roof. The reaction? People called it "Nickelodeon for teachers!" We had districts we've partnered with, like Iowa City (shoutout to the amazing Andrew Fenstermaker for connecting us to Digital Promise!), hanging out and dreaming big until way past bedtime.
School Visits as Learning Sparks:
And speaking of big dreams, the school visits were a major highlight. That apiary (bee sanctuary) at California Area School District? Talk about a cross-curricular catalyst! It got our team buzzing (pun intended) about the potential of focused outdoor learning experiences to engage students across the board.
Bringing It Home
Here's the bottom line: Pittsburgh isn't just talking about innovation; they're living it. CodeJoy, and The Anything Place Media, are honored to be part of the conversation. We're here to listen, to learn, and to partner with folks like Digital Promise and Remake Learning to build a future where learning is joyful, engaging, and truly transformative.
Do you have an idea for a connection, collaboration, conference, or something else that doesn’t begin with a “C?” Feel free to reach out! Let’s play! (hello@codejoy.org)